


The Hunting Trip

by merryholidays



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:08:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27227074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merryholidays/pseuds/merryholidays
Summary: Two deer bring Ellie to a realization
Kudos: 15





	The Hunting Trip

"How's that bow? Good enough for you?" Ellie looked down at JJ as they walked into a clearing.

"Mom! Its a deer, look." He pointed at a doe and its baby.

"shh- I see it bud but we don't wanna scare it."

"Are we gonna catch it?" JJ looked at Ellie, worried, he didn't want to hurt them.

"No... No we're not, the baby needs it's mom." She stared at the deer, watched as the mom and baby drank from the creek, standing close together, "they need each other." She almost whispered.

-

"Mama mama! Look what I got, I caught it all by myself!" JJ ran through the door with a rabbit in hand, excited and jumping with joy. 

"That's great! Go put it on the counter and change your clothes, alright?" Dina smiled and messed with his hair before standing to greet Ellie, "How was it? Any infected?" She brushed Ellies hair from her eyes.

"No, no infected, thank god... He's got talent, that's for sure, we uh, we found some deer, he didn't want to hurt them so we opted for something lighter on the menu," she held up 2 more rabbits and smiled like she won a trophy, "Maybe I'll go out and catch us a boar or something tomorrow." 

Dina giggled, "Ok 'super dad' go get changed while I start on dinner." She kissed Ellie and let her leave to change. 

She walked up the stairs and peaked into JJs room.

"Had fun today?" Ellie leaned against the door frame.

"Yeah! Did I do good?" He ran up to her, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"You did amazing champ, just great, now go see if mama needs help." She chuckled and playfully hit the back of his head as he went before going into her own room and shutting the door. 

Ellie let out a heavy sigh as she sat on the foot of the bed, boy was she tired but that's what age does right? She chuckled to herself as she unbuttoned her dirt stained shirt and threw it in the corner, she couldn't help but think of those deer. What was it about them? Why did she see him in everything she did? She stared out the window, watching the birds fly by, the trees moved with the wind, a moth, relaxing against the window. 

The door opened and shut softly, Dina had come in. She sat next to Ellie and rubbed her back, "Everything ok?"

"Yeah... Yeah just thinking." She wiped her face and looked at Dina lovingly. 

"About?" She tucked Ellies hair behind her ear as they stared at each other. 

She sighed, and looked away, shaking her head, "I don't know... I just want to do right by him, y'know." She returned her gaze to the window. 

Dina laid her head on Ellies shoulder, "Who, JJ... or Joel?" 

Ellies heart stung for a moment, not knowing whether she even had the answer to that. She looked at the photo of Joel on the dresser, would he be proud of her? Of who she grew to be? Of all the thoughts in her head she knew one thing to be true.

"JJ." She whispered, thinking of her last moments with Joel, feeling her throat burn, her own screams echoing in her head, how helpless she felt, unable to stop it, unable to save him the way he saved her. 

She came to a realization. A realization that it wasn't what she had seen in the doe, but what she had seen in the calf, the innocence of it, sticking by its mother for protection from the world, all the bad things that wandered and waited out there, things that would surely take its innocence, she saw JJ in that calf. That same innocence that shined through his eyes, that innocence that she wanted to protect, not to be ruined at the hands of someone else the way hers was. He hadn't known yet, what truly lies beyond the fence, the monsters that lingered. 

"I just want to protect him." She sniffled and wiped her tears.

"I know El but you don't have to worry, we're safe out here, no infected, just us, babe." Dina smiled and kissed Ellies cheek before leaving to resume dinner.

Ellie watched her walk out, wondering how she was to explain that it wasn't the undead she wanted to protect him from... but the living.


End file.
